Probing Planetary Interior Structure And ProcessesWith High-precision Spin Measurements

Details Probing Planetary Interior Structure And ProcessesWith High-precision Spin Measurements Probing Planetary Interior Structure And ProcessesWith High-precision Spin Measurements

Apr 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011dda....42.0203m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DDA meeting #42, #2.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011

Mathematics

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Scientific paper

Measurements of planetary rotation provide powerful probes of
planetary interior structure and processes. In this talk I will describe
results and prospects for Mercury, Venus, and Europa.
Observations of radar speckle patterns tied to the rotation of Mercury
establish that the planet exhibits periodic variations in
length-of-day. The amplitude of the oscillations indicates that the
mantle of Mercury is decoupled from a molten outer core. Long-term
signatures may reveal core-mantle interactions.
Ongoing measurements of Venus show that its spin period is not
constant. The variations are compatible with percent-level changes in
atmospheric angular momentum transferred to the solid planet.
Monitoring these fluctuations can provide key constraints on the
atmospheric dynamics and climate of Venus.
Several lines of evidence suggest that a subsurface ocean exists
beneath an icy shell on Europa. The shell most likely exhibits
periodic spin variations that may be detectable from Earth. The
amplitude of the oscillations depend on the rheology and thickness of
the shell, perhaps the most important determinants of Europa's
astrobiological potential.

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